When You Believe- 9th in the Danny, Tommy, and Friends Story Series
by rugphan
Summary: A DP and Rugrats crossover. Danny Fenton has faced many challenges at age five. He has felt that he can take on any challenge that comes his way. But, this was before Danny met Jeremy. Jeremy is a kind role model toward Danny, Tommy, and the rest of the babies. But, getting to know Jeremy will come at a cost; a cost that none of the babies, not even Danny will see coming.
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

**WARNING: This story is slightly spiritual! If you are not a religious person, I suggest you don't read this story... :)**

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been forever since I posted a new chapter you guys! My life can get super busy at times... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next story in the Danny, Tommy, and Friends series! I do not own any of these characters (or Goldfish Crackers :) ) in this part of this chapter except for Jeremy Dreamer, Jazz's soccer coach, and the girl on the opposite soccer team. All of the other characters in this chapter belong to Butch Hartman and Paul Germain. Enjoy the story! :)**

**Chapter 1 Part 1**

**_F_**ive-year-old Danny Fenton walked down the street, his head hung low. He was angry. And he had a good reason to be. He _knew_ why he was so mad, he just didn't get _why_ the thing that made him so upset had to happen in the first place.

Danny didn't know why, and he didn't know how he was doing this with his mind so full of thoughts, but he started running. He ran as fast and as hard as he possibly could.

Danny kept running, only to stop at crosswalks. He had to get back to Fenton Works. He didn't want anybody to see him like this.

After it seemed like hours had passed, he finally made it to Fenton Works. He sat down on the front steps of his house, and took a few deep breaths.

After Danny finally caught his breath, he sat on his front porch and started sobbing. Right then and there. He didn't care who saw him now. He just had to let it all out.

But, wait a minute. You don't know _why_ Danny was so upset, do you? Well, let's start from the beginning.

* * *

**_I_**t all started three weeks previously. The Fentons' and the Pickles' families were at Danny's school that Saturday. Now, you're probably thinking, why would they all be at school on a Saturday? Well, you see, Jazz Fenton, Danny's older sister, was on Ghoul Elementary's little league soccer team. So, Danny's family, along with his playmate Tommy Pickles family decided to all come to the game together.

Tommy was watching Jazz run around the field, trying to get the ball into the goal. "I don't gets it, Danny." he stated. "If there's a goal closer to Jazz behind her, how come she just doesn't goes to that one instead?"

"Because that's the other team's goal, Tommy." Danny explained. "If Jazz kicks the ball into that goal, she'll score a point for the other team."

"Oh." Tommy nodded, understanding. He suddenly frowned once more. "But wasn't _that_ goal behind her _her_ team's goal?"

"That was the first half of the game, Tommy. This is the second half of the game, so they switched goals."

"Really?" Tommy was puzzled. "This game is confoosing."

Danny laughed. "That's what I thought too when I was your age." He shook his head. "That's why I don't ever try out for sports. That and all of the older kids would trample me."

Tommy grinned at his playmate. "Don't worry, Danny! I'm sure you'll find a sport you're really good at someday!"

"Thanks, Tommy. I appreciate that."

The two boys glanced back at the soccer field, trying to find Jazz again. They found her a minute later, closer to the other end of the field. She was going to score a goal!

Both families stood up and started cheering Jazz on. She was so close to the goal now!

But, then something terrible happened. A girl from the other team was gaining up behind her. She placed her foot out in front of Jazz's foot to try and get the ball, but the young Fenton girl refused to let her. It was a battle between feet for a minute before the girl from the other team awkwardly tripped Jazz down onto the ground, and the girl ran with the ball in the opposite direction.

Normally, Jazz Fenton would've seen that as a challenge. Or, at least, more of a logical game plan that she would've saved in her brain for later. She normally would've gotten up, and ran back after the girl on the opposite team and try to steal the ball once more. But that didn't happen. Instead, she just sat on the middle of the field, tears of pain forming in her eyes.

The referee saw this, and blew his whistle to stop the game. He ran over to where Jazz was sitting, and leaned down to talk to her.

At this point, the Fentons' and the Pickles' were both very concerned.

"Danny, what's going on?" Tommy asked, worriedly. "Is Jazz alright?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't know, Tommy."

A couple of minutes passed, before the referee pulled out his megaphone, and announced, "Would the parents of this young lady please come down to the field? We think she's twisted her ankle."

Immediately, Jack and Maddie Fenton were rushing down toward the soccer field.

Danny sighed, and turned to face his playmate. "And this is _exactly_ why I don't try out for sports." he concluded.

* * *

**_ "_****_O_**w! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Jazz yelled, as the doctor examined her left ankle.

Danny frowned in concern. Poor Jazz was in a lot of pain. He couldn't help but be worried for her, even though he knew he shouldn't be. After all, he knew his sister. Jazz was tough. She could take a broken ankle without showing fear any day.

Danny sighed. He was relieved Jazz was okay, but he wished Tommy were here to talk to him. Stu and Didi Pickles had to go back home because Didi wasn't feeling all that well. Stu figured it was morning sickness. I mean, she _was_ going to have another baby in two and a half months. But still, it didn't mean Danny wasn't bored to death.

Suddenly, Danny heard a long, low growling sound. He glanced down at his stomach. It didn't take him too long to realize when he was hungry. He walked up to his mom and asked, "Do you think I could borrow some money to get a snack from the vending machine just down the hall? I'll pay you back. I'm just really hungry."

"Don't worry about it, honey!" Maddie Fenton rummaged through her purse and handed him a five-dollar bill. "Nothing too sugary though, okay dear?"

Danny took the five-dollar bill gratefully. "Thanks, Mom! I'll be right back!" He quickly ran down the hallway.

Once he got to the vending machine, he glanced up and down at all the brightly colored packages, viewing his options. Finally, he decided to get himself a bag of Goldfish crackers, and slipped the five-dollar bill into the slot.

"Excuse me?"

Danny turned around, startled. A boy around his age in a wheelchair with a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers was smiling back at him. He had short, spiked up, dark brown hair.

"Sorry." he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just wondering if I could have a snack."

"Er…" Danny hesitated. "I'm sorry, but my parents say I can't share my money with strangers."

The boy nodded. "That's fine. I totally understand. My parents are the same way." He held out his right hand. "I'm Jeremy by the way. Jeremy Dreamer."

Danny grinned, and shook Jeremy's hand politely. "I'm Danny. Danny Fenton."

Jeremy smiled brightly at him. "Danny." He murmured. "I always liked that name."

"Gee, thanks. I like your name too."

Jeremy laughed. "Thanks." He grinned at him once more. "You know, I kind of like you Danny. Do you think you want to come into my room, and hang out?"

Danny froze in his spot. "I don't know. I'll have to ask my parents first."

"That's fine." He wheeled himself down the hall a ways, turned his head, and said, "If your parents say yes, I'm in Room 205. It's just down the hall."

Danny grinned. "Okay."

"Oh, and don't forget your Goldfish crackers."

Danny, who had almost rushed back to Jazz's room froze once more, and smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Right." He quickly reached down in the vending machine, got his snack and change, and headed back into Jazz's room.

Once he got there, he gave his mom the change he got back for his snack. She turned to her son, and smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry, dear, but it sounds like we're going to be here for awhile. The doctor wants to do some x-rays on Jazz's ankle and bandage her up before we go home."

Danny nodded. "That's fine." Then he asked, "I met this kid about my age down the hall. His name is Jeremy Dreamer. He said if it was okay with you, I could go to his room and talk with him for awhile."

Maddie hesitated. "I don't know…"

"Come on, Mom!" Danny pleaded. "Can I go, please? Jeremy seems really nice. And he said he totally understands that I'm asking you guys first before I go there. His parents are the exact same way. He's in Room 205, just down the hall."

Maddie thought about this for a moment, then said, "Well, alright. But, if there's any problems I want you to come straight back here, do you hear me?"

Danny nodded. "Thanks, Mom!"

And with that, he quickly trudged down the hall.

* * *

**Author's Note: I will be splitting chapter one into two parts. That way, you look forward to more reading material from me later on. :) Please,leave me a review, and let me know what you think so far!**


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

**Author's Note: Again, I do not own any of these characters (except for Jeremy Dreamer, Janet Lynn, and Jeremy's parents). All of these characters belong to Butch Hartman and Paul Germain. Enjoy the second half of chapter one! :)**

* * *

**_"_****_H_**ey, Jeremy!" Danny exclaimed as he entered Room 205. "Guess, what? My parents said I could hang out here for awhile."

"Neat!" Jeremy said happily. He was now sitting in his bed, facing the television. "Have a seat in my wheelchair. I won't be needing it for awhile." He gestured toward the wheelchair sitting next to his bed on his right.

Danny grinned. "Thanks." He sat down in the chair, and rolled the wheels back and forth for a minute, then said, "So, Jeremy, if you don't mind me asking, what do you need the wheelchair for?"

Jeremy froze. "Er…"

"I'm sorry." Danny frowned. "Forget I asked anything."

Jeremy laughed. "Don't apologize. I only paused because I thought I lost the TV remote." He waved a small, black remote in his left hand. "I need the wheelchair because I can't walk. My doctor says my legs don't work right." He clicked the TV on.

"Wow." Danny shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. Is that why they're keeping you here?"

Jeremy laughed again. "No. It's not because of that. It's-," He suddenly put a finger up to his lips. "Quiet, now! American Singers are on right now!"

"American Singers?" Danny was puzzled. "I thought that show didn't come on until eight o' clock this evening."

"Well, here they have a special satellite that can skip TV shows three hours ahead." Jeremy explained. "That way, if any of us who are staying here for long periods of time, we don't get bored easily."

"I see."

"Now, let's wait until Sara comes on."

"Sara?"

"Sara Grimke. She's only the _best_ singer on the show this year. Have you heard her sing?"

"No." Danny replied. "I haven't."

"Then you're in for a big surprise!" Jeremy exclaimed. "She's really good!"

The two boys then started watching American Singers, commenting on who was good, who was okay, and who was bad that episode. Just then, Jeremy sprang up in his bed. "Quiet now! Sara is coming on!"

Danny glanced back at the TV screen. A young woman with short brown hair walked upon the stage, smiling kindly. She didn't look all that nervous.

"Wait for it." Jeremy said eagerly.

"Now," the host exclaimed, "give it up for Sara Grimke singing, 'Rushing Waves'."

"Oh my gosh!" Jeremy turned up the volume a bit. "I _love_ this song!"

Danny smiled at how happy his new friend was, then turned his attention back to the television. The man with the keyboard on the side of the stage was starting to play.

Then Sara started singing.

* * *

_**A**_fter Sara's performance, the whole audience was standing up and cheering for her. And they weren't the only ones. Danny and Jeremy were cheering as well.

"That was great!" Danny exclaimed, after the judges gave Sara positive comments.

"I know, right?" Jeremy added, clicking the television off. "Hopefully people will vote to keep her on!"

"I know _I_ sure would have!"

"Me too!"

Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door. "Jeremy? Are you back from dinner yet?"

Jeremy laughed. "Yes, Janet. I am. You can come in."

Janet slid in through the door. She was a pretty woman with blonde hair and square glasses. She wore a white doctor's coat, and had a kind, smiling face. She was surprised to see Danny sitting in the room with Jeremy.

"Who's your new friend, Jeremy?" Janet asked.

Jeremy grinned. "Sorry, Janet. Where are my manners today? This is Danny Fenton. Danny, this is Janet Lynn, my doctor."

Janet shook the five-year-old's hand politely. "Nice to meet you Danny."

"Thanks, Mrs. Lynn!" Danny exclaimed. "Nice to meet you too!"

"Oh, just call me Janet sweetheart!"

"Okay, Mrs-, I mean, Janet."

Janet smiled. She was already starting to like this kid. He was so polite, and Jeremy seemed to like him a lot. Which was good. Besides his parents, who visited him many hours during the day, Jeremy hardly _ever_ had kids his own age to interact with in the hospital. "So, Danny, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?"

"Oh!" Danny exclaimed. "They know I'm here if that's what you mean. They're in Room 211, just down the hall. My older sister Jazz twisted her ankle during a soccer game, and the doctor said to my parents we were going to be here for awhile. Jeremy invited me here." His eyes suddenly widened. "I'm not in the way or anything am I?"

"Oh, no, dear! Not at all! I just came here to elevate Jeremy's bed." Janet walked over toward Jeremy's mattress and fiddled with the knobs on the sides a bit so the bed was sitting up. "Is that comfortable, Jeremy?"

"Yes. Thank you, Janet!"

She smiled at the young boy, then said, "There's something I have to go take care of in one of the other rooms. I'll see you later, okay?"

Jeremy smiled. "Okay, Janet!"

The young woman grinned back at her patient, and walked out of the room, happy to hear the two young boys continuing their chat.

* * *

**_"_****_H_**ow are you feeling, sweetheart?" Jack Fenton asked his seven-year-old daughter, eagerly.

Jazz smiled up at her father. "A lot better, now that I have this thing on." she replied, patting her pink cast softly. "How about you guys?"

"Just fine now that you're okay, dear." Maddie grinned.

"Thanks, Mom." She suddenly glanced around the room. "Where's Danny?"

"He met a new friend just down the hall. I'll go and get him in a minute."

Suddenly, a voice startled Maddie. "Are you Danny Fenton's parents?"

Maddie, Jack, and Jazz glanced at the door to see a female doctor with blonde hair and square glasses smiling at them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's alright." Maddie replied. "You just startled me, that's all."

"Well, okay then." The doctor said. She held out her hand. "I'm Janet Lynn, Jeremy's doctor."

"Is Danny causing any trouble?" Maddie asked, immediately concerned. "Because I can bring him back here if you want me-,"

Janet laughed. "Of course not, Mrs. Fenton. You've got a fine young boy on your hands. And I came to talk to you about that." She hesitated before turning to Jazz. "Ms. Fenton, do you think I could talk to your parents in private for a moment?"

Jazz nodded. "That's fine." She grabbed her crutches, and moved herself over to her mom. "But, first, do you have any extra change from Danny's five-dollars? I'm hungry."

Maddie handed the rest of the change to her daughter, and she hobbled off toward the snack machine.

Once they were sure Jazz was out of earshot, Jack and Maddie turned to face the doctor. "So, you wanted to talk to us about our son, Mrs. Lynn?" Jack asked.

Janet smiled at him before saying, "Well, Mr. Fenton, I was just watching Jeremy and Danny having the most normal conversation kids have at five years of age, and I just _couldn't_ believe it."

"Couldn't believe what?" Maddie questioned.

"I just couldn't believe how engaged Jeremy was. Besides his parents, he hasn't had any friends here since he was first told he had to be here." Janet sighed. "Jeremy has talked to many of the other kids in the hospital, but he's usually kind of quiet around them. He has a _very_ vivid imagination, and his mind is _always_ wandering off to different things. Sometimes, he'll draw a picture, then write a song that goes with it, along with a story." She grinned. "His parents eventually brought them his Dad's old laptop so he could continue his writing here. He's _always_ showing them to me."

"It sounds like he's very creative." Maddie replied.

"Oh, he is." Janet laughed. "His stories and songs flow really well, and his drawings are like nothing I've ever seen a five-year-old do before. Actually, I thought I heard him and Danny watching American Singers before I walked into the room."

Jack grinned. "Sounds like they're having a fun time."

Janet pushed her glasses up her nose before answering. "Yes. They really were. In fact, I called Jeremy's parents and they were _thrilled_ that Jeremy was making a new friend here. They were so thrilled, they were willing to tell you Jeremy's condition in order to have Danny come and visit him every few days or so. He needs friends like Danny right now."

"His condition?" Maddie asked, her eyebrows raised up in surprise. "What do you mean by 'his condition'?"

Janet sighed sadly as tears started to form in her eyes. She paused for a minute, before replying, "Jeremy's dying, Mrs. Fenton."

* * *

**_ "_****_O_**h, and I almost forgot the best part!" Danny exclaimed. "He loves Reptar too!"

"Neat!" came the excited cries of Tommy's two friends Phil and Lil Deville.

Danny and Tommy, along with their friends Sam, Tucker, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, were sitting in Tommy's playpen in the Pickles' living room. Danny was chatting about his day yesterday at the hospital with Jeremy. The babies were listening intently, especially since Jeremy was interested in all of their favorite things.

"So, when is he gonna come over and play with us?" Tommy's best friend, Chuckie Finster, asked eagerly.

"Well," Danny explained, "he can't exactly come here. He has to stay at the hospital."

"How comes?" Phil questioned.

Danny shrugged. "Beats me." He smiled. "But, I get to go and see him after school tomorrow. Maybe you guys can come and meet him."

Tucker Foley, Danny's best friend, grinned. "I like the sound of that!"

"Count me in!" Sam Manson, Danny's other best friend exclaimed.

"Us too!" Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil added.

* * *

**_D_**idi Pickles looked at her friend with a concerned look on her face. "Are you really sure you want to go through with this, Maddie?" she asked, handing Mrs. Fenton a cup of coffee. "After all, a friendship like this could make a huge impact on Danny's life. What's going to happen after Jeremy passes away?"

Maddie took a small sip of her coffee before answering. "I think this would be a good way of showing Danny how to be friendly to other people who have conditions like this. Besides," she added, "Jeremy seems like a very nice boy."

"Yeah, well him being very nice unfortunately isn't going to stop the Leukemia from spreading." Betty Deville said with a sad expression on her face. "But, I do have to agree with both of you. Danny's going to be very sad when Jeremy passes away, but I think Jeremy needs friends at a time like this too. You know, to make his short time here worth while."

Didi sighed. "Well, you do make a good point."

Maddie sighed as well. "I just don't know what to do. I can't quit on Jeremy now, especially when I told his parents I would bring Danny over every few days or so. They'd be _so_ disappointed."

"Well," Betty continued, glancing at Didi, "why don't you see what Dr. Lipschitz says about this in one of your books."

Didi grinned slightly. "Well, I do have a book on taking care of sick children. Why don't I see if it says anything about cancer patients." She walked over to a shelf by the kitchen window and grabbed a book titled, 'Safe Tips for Sick Kids by Dr. Drake Lipschitz', and started flipping through it.

Maddie glanced at Betty, then asked, "Do you really think there will be something in one of those books?"

Betty shrugged. "There just might be. Dr. Lipschitz wrote a ten-page essay in one of his books about pacifiers once. Who knows what else he could've written about?"

Maddie smiled for a brief moment. After all, Betty did have a point.

"Well," Didi finally said after a few minutes had passed, "it says here that support for any given sickness is very important." She shrugged. "There really isn't anything else that I could find."

"Still," Maddie replied, "thanks for trying. I just wish that Danny won't feel so alone when Jeremy goes away."

"Say, Deed," Betty grinned at her friend, "why don't we take the pups with us to the hospital to meet Jeremy? That way, Danny will have support when Jeremy leaves. Well, at least from the older kids, anyway."

Didi smiled. "I think that's a _wonderful_ idea, Betty! What do you think, Maddie?"

Maddie grinned. "I don't see a problem with that."

"Then it's settled." Betty said. "We take the kids to the hospital to see Jeremy tomorrow!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, you guys! I hope you all enjoy it! Just a warning, Danny (and maybe Tommy a little bit as well) may seem a bit out of character toward the end of this chapter, but it's for a good reason. :) I don't own any of the characters in this chapter except for Jeremy.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Friends Forever**

**_ "_****_I _**can't believe we're going to the hoskiptal!" Tommy exclaimed happily as Danny buckled his playmate's car seat.

Danny laughed. "I thought you were excited because we're going to see Jeremy."

Tommy grinned at his playmate. "Oh, I am! It's just that I'm excited to see where my baby brother is coming from too! Do you think we'll see him theres?"

"Er-,"

He was cut off when he heard Tucker screaming his head off as Sam annoyingly dragged him to the car. "NO!" he shouted. "NO! NO! NO!"

Sam rolled her eyes as she shoved him into the car. "Come on, Tuck! It's just a hospital. There's nothing to be scared of."

"Nothing to be scared of?" Tucker asked, clicking on his seatbelt. "Nothing to be _scared of_! Sam, it's a _hospital_! You know, the place where all of the sharp pointy things, the smells of sick people-,"

"Okay, Tuck!" Danny exclaimed. He had just covered Tommy's ears when Tucker started rambling on about all of the 'torture' that hospitals brought to him. "There are young kids in this van who are going to the hospital for the first time! Do you want to scare them half to death?"

Tucker sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just, I've been afraid of hospitals ever since I was a baby."

Sam grinned, and put a hand on Tucker's left shoulder. "Don't worry, Tucker. We'll help you get through this."

Tucker smiled. "Thanks, Sam. I appreciate that."

"No problem."

* * *

**_W_**hile Danny and Sam were giving advice to Tucker about hospitals, Tommy turned to his three friends. "We're going to the hoskiptal, you guys! Isn't it great?"

Chuckie sighed. "I don't know, Tommy. I mean, I've been to the hoskiptal a few times for my allergies and they weren't the mostest fun trips in the world."

"But, Chuckie, we gets to meets Jeremy!" Phil grinned.

Lil nodded. "Yeah! And Danny's really acited!"

Chuckie smiled slightly. "Well, as long as Danny's happy…"

Tommy's eyes suddenly widened in eagerness. "You guys," he lowered his voice so Danny wouldn't here, "what do you say we goes on an abenture while we're theres?"

Chuckie groaned. "Oh, _no_."

"What is it? What is it?" Phil and Lil asked excitedly.

"Well, I've been thinking," Tommy continued, "Danny's been telling me my baby brother is gonna be borned at the hoskiptal a few times right?"

"Uh, huh." the babies answered.

"And Danny says he's gonna be borned in about two and a half months, right?"

"Uh, huh."

"And the newborned babies I heard Danny's and my Mommy say aren't all that far from where Jeremy's room is."

"I don't think I like where you're going with this." Chuckie stated, nervously.

"Are you saying we should go and look for your baby brother theres so we can bring him home early?" Lil asked, a smile sliding across her face. Her brother grinned back at her.

Tommy grinned. "That's eggazactly what I'm saying!"

Chuckie folded his hands, and turned to the twins, a pleading motion on his face. "Please, say no, you guys! _Please_! I _beg of you_!"

Phil and Lil glanced at each other, smiled once more, and nodded. "We're in!"

The three babies cheered.

Chuckie sighed. "How do I _always_ get dragged into these things?" he mumbled.

* * *

**_"_****_S_**o, Tommy," Jeremy said, lifting his new friend onto his hospital bed after Danny made introductions, "what are you into?"

"Well, I'm not eggzactly _in_ anything, but-,"

Danny laughed, cutting his playmate off. "I think he means, what do you like to do, Tommy?"

"Oh." Tommy grinned up at his new friend. "Well, I likes cookies, and candy, and going on abentures, and Reptar, and-,"

Jeremy cut him off once more. "You know, Danny _did_ say you liked Reptar."

Tommy nodded. "He's the bestest TB hero there is!"

Jeremy smiled slightly. "Then, I guess you wouldn't mind having this now, would you?" He reached under his pillow, and pulled out a purple Reptar doll.

Tommy's eyes widened. "Wow!" he exclaimed, carefully taking the doll out of Jeremy's hands. "This is for me?"

Jeremy grinned. "It's definitely for you. You sound like the biggest Reptar fan in the world. His name is Reptar Jr."

"Thanks, Jeremy!" Tommy hugged his friend before jumping off of the bed, to join his friends in playing with his new toy.

Sam turned to Jeremy. "That was really nice of you."

Jeremy shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Tucker, who was still trying to get over his fear of hospitals, nervously asked, "Where did you get it?"

Jeremy, who already knew about Tucker's fear, smiled, and said, "It's my old Reptar doll."

"And you just gave it to Tommy?" Danny asked. "Why?"

"Soon, I won't be needing Reptar Jr. anymore."

Danny could've sworn that he saw a bit of sadness flicker across his new friend's face. Danny was just about to ask what Jeremy meant by that, when there was a knock on the door. Danny turned around to see his mom standing in the doorway.

"Are you kids having fun?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "We sure are, Mrs. Fenton!"

"That's good. Didi's being checked down the hallway to make sure the baby's still growing right."

"And is he?" Tucker questioned.

Maddie nodded. "So far, so good. But, they want to test her just to make sure." She turned around. "I'll be in Room 207 just down the hall if you need anything, okay kids?"

"Alright Mom." Danny replied. "Thanks."

"No problem." Maddie grinned, closing the door behind her, leaving enough space open for the kids to call her if needed.

* * *

**_ "_****_D_**id you guys here that?" Tommy whispered to his friends excitedly. "They're checking on my baby brother with my Mommy! Maybe, if we find the room _she's_ in, then maybe we'll get to meet my baby brother!"

"Yeah!" Lil exclaimed.

"Neat!" Phil added, excitedly.

Chuckie though, wasn't so enthusiastic. "I don't know, Tommy. Every time we do something like this, we _always_ get into trouble!" He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. "I just don't think it's a very good idea."

Tommy shrugged. "That's fine, Chuckie. You can just stay here." He turned to Phil and Lil. "C'mon, you guys!"

Phil and Lil stood up, and followed Tommy out the door.

Chuckie pondered over this for a moment. Sure, he wanted to stay out of trouble, but what if something bad happened to his friends, and he wasn't there to help them? He hesitated for a moment, sighed, and stood up, as toddled toward the now open doorway. "You guys, wait for me!"

* * *

**_ "_****_S_**o, Danny," Jeremy continued, "I forgot to ask you the last time you came here, what were you in for?"

"My older sister Jazz broke her leg during a soccer game." Danny explained. "She needed to come here to get a cast."

"Oh." Jeremy nodded. "Well, tell her I said that I hope her leg gets better."

"Thanks." Danny grinned. "I will."

"When is she supposed to have the cast taken off?" Sam questioned.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. The doctor said it would be at least for a couple of months. Until then, Jazz is off of the soccer team."

"Wow." Tucker frowned. "I'll bet Jazz is pretty bummed."

"Actually, she really isn't. She's glad she's able to catch up on some old books she's been wanting to read."

Sam rolled her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. "Of course."

The four friends talked for about twenty minutes before Jeremy suddenly pointed behind Danny and said, "I think your playmates are gone."

Danny, Sam, and Tucker whipped their heads around. They saw all of the babies toys scattered about, but there was no one there to play with them.

Tucker panicked. "We were supposed to be watching them!"

"We're in _so_ much trouble!" Sam groaned.

Danny frowned. "As long as we find the babies before my Mom, Mrs. Pickles, and Mrs. Deville find out they're gone," he stated calmly, "we'll be fine. And once we do find them, I'm going to give Tommy a piece of my mind. He _knows_ he shouldn't be wandering off on his own!"

Jeremy grinned. "Great! This will give me an excuse to roll around the hospital for a bit. Just let me climb into my wheelchair."

Once Jeremy slid down, and was secure in his wheelchair, he wheeled himself out the door, his new friends following close behind.

* * *

**_"_****_Y_**ou know," Chuckie said eagerly, "maybe should head back, just in case anybody's noticed we're gone."

Tommy shook his head. "Don't worry Chuckie. We've only been gone for a little bit. Trust me, we'll be back afore anybody knows we left."

"Well, then," Phil exclaimed, "then we'd better find your Mom quick."

Lil glanced around. "Does anybody know where we are anyways?"

Tommy quickly glanced around. That was actually a good question. They were just trudging around the corner of the first floor of the hospital. After they had gotten down through the 'magical moving door' as the babies called it, they didn't know which way to turn.

Tommy shook his head. "We're not finding my Mom."

"WHAT?!" Chuckie shouted, exasperated.

"I mean," Tommy continued, "we was, but, I heared a doctor saying all the new borned babies was this way."

"Neat!" Phil and Lil exclaimed.

"No!" Chuckie continued his rant. "It's not neat, Tommy! We're lost, we don't know how to get back to Jeremy's room, and I think I'm starting to get hungry."

Tommy shook his head once more as he and the babies crouched down into a crawling position as a doctor passed them. "Don't worry, Chuckeroo! We'll make it back! I promless!"

"How, Tommy? How?"

Tommy shrugged. "I'm not sure yet, but I'll figures it out!"

Chuckie sighed. "If you say so."

* * *

**_J_**eremy turned to look at Danny. "Does this happen a lot?" he asked. The four friends were desperately searching around the second floor for their playmates, but so far it wasn't working out all that well.

Danny sighed. "Not often, but yes, this has happened before. Tommy and I are going to have a _long_ talk when we get home."

Jeremy smiled. "Just don't be too hard on him. He's only a baby after all."

Danny grinned slightly. "I know. But, that still doesn't mean he can go off and do whatever he wants."

"I agree."

Sam suddenly turned to Danny. "Why did Tommy take off with the others anyway?"

Danny shrugged. "Beats me."

"Well, think about it, dude!" Tucker exclaimed. "Did Tommy say something to you this morning that would make him and the babies take off?"

Danny thought for a moment before answering. "No, I don't-," It took only two seconds for Danny to face palm himself as he realized where the babies went. "Oh, man! We've got to get to the newborn babies room, now!"

* * *

**_T_**ommy was a bit upset at the moment. He and the babies were just about to sneak into the newborn babies room, when he was suddenly staring into Danny's eyes. And when Danny was angry (which was rare in Tommy's case), Tommy knew it meant business. And this time, he and the babies were the business he was referring to.

When they got back to Jeremy's room, Danny was having a long talk with Tommy. He was frustrated, but he didn't yell. After all, Tommy was only a baby. He would look a little ridiculous yelling at a one-year-old who couldn't talk yet. Also, Danny really didn't want to be mean. He hated doing that, even if it was absolutely necessary.

"How come every time I turn my back, you have to go and run off somewhere?" Danny asked, the frustration showing in his voice. "Why?"

Tommy shrugged. "We just wanted to go on an abenture, that's all." He knew Danny was a little peeved with him at the moment, but he was hoping that Danny would change the subject soon.

Danny shook his head. "Yeah, well, when you guys go wandering off in a huge building and get lost, who gets in trouble?" He pointed to his chest. "Me! I'm supposed to be watching you guys!"

Tommy grinned nervously. "But, I just wanted to meet my new baby brother."

Danny sighed. Unfortunately, this whole lecture wasn't going too well. "Well then, you should've at least asked me!"

"But then you would've said no!" Tommy exclaimed.

Danny turned to face his playmate once more. "You can't always get what you want in life, Tommy." He sighed again. "I hate to do this, Tommy, but you need to go sit in the hall for a few minutes and think about what you did."

Tommy's eyes widened in shock. Danny had never punished him like this before! In fact, he'd never been punished by Danny at all. "Why?" Tommy asked. "What did I do wrong?"

Danny's heart sank. He wasn't lying to Tommy. He really hated to punish him, but he ran off when he knew he shouldn't have and he needed to realize the consequences that came with breaking the rules. Danny knew Tommy was going to be mad at him for a little awhile. But, once Tommy realized that what he did was wrong, he'd get over it. After all, Danny was doing this only because Tommy was his best friend and he loved him. Danny knew Tommy would understand that when he was a bit older.

Danny frowned. "You did something that I specifically told you not to do a bunch of times. Maybe this time, now that you're going to take some time to think about what you did, you will think twice before you go and do it again."

"But Danny-,"

"No buts, Tommy."

"But-,"

"Now go sit in the hall until I tell you to come back in."

"But-,"

"Tommy."

Tommy glared at the ground. "Fine." He then toddled out into the hallway.

Jeremy, who had observed the whole thing, rolled his way up to Danny. "Are you alright?"

Danny sighed. "Yeah. It's not that big of a deal. Tommy doesn't usually behave like that. And when he does, he needs to have a little time out. He's a year old. Just because he can't talk to grown ups yet, doesn't mean he doesn't know right from wrong." He placed his chin in the palms of his hands. "I'm going to have a long talk with that baby when we get back to his house."

Jeremy stared at his frustrated friend for a moment before glancing out in the hallway. He could see Tommy fiddling with a piece of dirt on the ground. Without taking his eyes off of Tommy, Jeremy said, "Why don't I take a whack at talking to him?"

Danny glanced up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure." Jeremy replied. "And besides," he added placing his hand on Danny's shoulder, "I think you've had enough stress for one day."

Danny grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem." Jeremy smiled back at his friend as he wheeled himself out of his room.

When Jeremy rolled up to Tommy, he could still tell that Tommy was pretty miffed about Danny catching Tommy and his friends in the act. Tommy was still playing with the same piece of dirt he was playing with minutes before Jeremy wheeled himself toward his new friend.

"Hi, Tommy."

"Hi'ya, Jeremy." Tommy replied, not glancing up at him. He didn't have the enthusiasm in his voice that he normally did.

Jeremy smiled sadly. "Still mad?"

Tommy nodded. "Kind of."

"Well, you know Danny's only punishing you because he loves you."

This time, Tommy glanced up at Jeremy, a confused expression showing up upon his face. "How?"

"How what?" Jeremy asked.

"How does punishing somebodies shows somebodies that they love them?"

Jeremy chuckled slightly at this. "That's something that you're going to know when you're a bit older to understand it. Just know this for now." He leaned in toward Tommy. "Danny's doing this for your own good."

Tommy nodded. "I guess so." He smiled slightly.

"And you know what else?" Jeremy hesitated before continuing. "One of these days, Danny's going to need your love and support. Whenever he's sad, I know you're going to be there for him, just like he is there for you."

Tommy grinned. "You really thinks so?"

Jeremy smiled at him. "I _know_ so. So, try not to get into too much trouble then, okay?"

Tommy laughed. "Sure. No problem."

* * *

**_D_**anny tossed the small, soft football toy to Jeremy. They were now sitting alone in Jeremy's room. Didi Pickles offered to take all of the kids home while Maddie was waiting in the hallway for Jack to pick them up.

"Listen," Danny said, "thanks for talking to Tommy for me earlier. He seemed a lot happier when he came back in here." Danny tossed the ball he had just caught over to his friend.

Jeremy caught the ball just before it was about to go over his head. "It was no trouble at all. I'm glad to be of service." He threw the ball back at his friend.

Danny laughed, catching the ball once more. He grinned. "You know," he added, "I'm glad I met you Jeremy. It's nice to just come see someone and just talk for a change instead of running around all day."

Jeremy chuckled. "Yeah."

Danny smiled. "Do you think we'll be friends forever?" he asked, tossing the football back to his friend.

Jeremy was taken so much by surprise that he forgot to catch the ball.

"Are you alright, Jeremy?"

"Oh, yeah." Jeremy quickly caught himself. "It's just that… I've never had someone offer to be friends with me before."

Danny's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Really."

Danny hesitated before saying, "Well then, I'm offering." He held out his right hand. "Friends forever?"

Jeremy stared at Danny's hand for a moment. Should he really do this? I mean, if Danny only knew what was going on… But if Jeremy said no…

Jeremy held his right hand out to shake Danny's left. "Definitely."


	4. Chapter 3 Part 1

**Author's Note: I don't own any of these characters, except for Jeremy, Janet, and Jeremy's parents. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3 Part 1: The List**

**_"_****_D_**o you see him yet, Jeremy?"

"Shhh! Not so loud, Tommy." Jeremy whispered. "If we're going to surprise Danny, then we can't let him see or hear us."

"Well, he'd better get here soon." Chuckie stated. "I need a potty break."

"How long have we been hiding behind this plant anyway?" Phil asked.

"Yeah!" Lil exclaimed. "I'm starting to get hungry!"

"I think I'm starting to get a diapie rash." Tommy added.

It wasn't long before Danny, Sam, and Tucker were peeking at the babies from the front of the plant.

"What are you guys doing behind there?" Danny asked.

"Oh, man!" Tommy groaned. "Danny, we was gonna surprise you!"

Tucker laughed. "Well, next time you want to surprise Danny, you probably should be a little more quiet."

Jeremy smiled apologetically at the babies. "I told you."

"Thank goodness!" Chuckie dashed down the hall toward the men's room. The babies just stared after him.

Sam glanced back at the babies. "Are you all really that bored?"

Phil shrugged. "I guess so."

Lil sighed. "There's nothing to do."

Jeremy suddenly grinned. This was the perfect opportunity! "Hey, Danny! I've got an idea!"

Danny smiled at his friend. "What's that?"

Jeremy grinned slyly. "Let's make a list!"

* * *

**_ "_****_N_**ow," Jeremy explained, "this is a friendship list. We each pick an activity that we all want to do together as friends, and I'll list them." He placed his sketch book flat upon his lap, then said, "So, does anybody have any ideas?"

Tommy grinned. "I wanna saddle up the horseys and ride around in the wild, wild west!"

Jeremy laughed. "Alright then!" He quickly wrote down 'Explore the Wild West' on his single sheet of paper. "What else?"

"Oh!" Phil exclaimed. "Oh! Watch the nextest Reptar movie marathon together!"

"And eat lots of cookies!" Lil added.

The babies all agreed that was a great idea as Jeremy jotted it down on the list.

"I'd kind of like to visit the aminals again at the zoo." Chuckie said shyly.

"How about a big dinner with all of us together?" Tucker asked. "We haven't done that in awhile."

"We could always have a slumber party afterward." Sam added.

"Those are all great ideas you guys!" Jeremy was eagerly writing down more and more stuff on the list. He glanced up after he finished writing. "Danny? How about you?"

"Well…" Danny paused in thought before answering. "I've been kind of wanting to see that new space exhibit in the science center in town."

"That's sounds like fun!" Tommy exclaimed. "Write it down, Jeremy!"

Jeremy jotted Danny's idea down.

"How about you, Jeremy?" Sam asked.

"Yeah!" Lil said eagerly. "What do you wanna do?"

Jeremy's grin widened. "What do _I_ wanna do?" He leaned back in his bed before answering. "I wanna do what I used to do before I got stuck in this hospital."

"And what's that?" Phil asked curiously.

Jeremy closed his eyes, the smile never leaving his face. "I wanna bike my way down the steepest hill in AmityPark. I'd go the fastest I could go on my bike. The wind flowing through my hair, the bike jumping as I went over the littlest bumps." He sighed happily. "It was like a thrill ride. A huge roller coaster that only went one way. Down. Those were the best days of my life." He suddenly frowned. "But that's never gonna happen again."

"Why not?" Tommy asked.

"Well," Jeremy explained, "you need to know how to peddle when you ride a bike. But, as you can see, my legs don't work anymore." He sighed. "I just wish I could take one more ride. Just one. Then, my life will be complete."

There was silence in the room for a moment before Danny said, "Maybe you can."

Everyone stared at him.

"How, Danny?" Tommy asked, puzzled.

"Well," Danny explained, "maybe it isn't like biking down the steepest hill, but I think it could be the next best thing."

* * *

**_"_****_W_**oo, hoo!" Jeremy yelled. "Come on, Danny! Faster! Faster!"

Danny laughed. "I can't go any faster than this! Besides, if we did, we'd crash!"

The two boys were wheeling down the hallway. Jeremy was in his wheelchair while Danny was riding on the back of it. And Jeremy was having a blast. In the past two weeks he had gotten to know him, Danny had never seen Jeremy this ecstatic before. Normally, he was calm, mellow Jeremy. Now, he was wild, eager Jeremy. Danny sighed. 'Poor Jeremy.' he thought. 'He must've really missed doing this.'

"Boys!"

'Oh great.' Danny thought, making the wheelchair come to a stop. Luckily it was only Janet approaching them.

"What's going on here?" she asked, sternly. "You know you shouldn't be wheeling around the hospital like this, Jeremy. This isn't the skate park."

"Sorry, Janet." Jeremy laughed. "But, I haven't had fun like this in ages! I just needed a little freedom."

Janet smiled sadly. "I know." she sighed. "And I'm happy for you. It's just, I don't want you getting any more injured than you already are, alright?"

Jeremy nodded. "Okay. Thanks Janet."

"Sorry for the trouble." Danny added.

Janet smiled at Danny in response. He was a good kid.

* * *

**_T_**wo more weeks passed, and the babies had a blast with Jeremy. They played board games, played catch, and even got the items checked off of their list! All in all, it wasn't a bad couple of weeks.

It was another ordinary day when Danny walked into Jeremy's room. He was coughing a lot, and he looked a bit pale. "Are you alright, Jeremy?" Danny asked. "You don't look so well."

Jeremy took a quick drink of water from the glass on his bedside dresser before answering. "Oh yeah. I'm fine. I've just been a little tired lately."

Danny smiled. "Well, okay then."

Jeremy frowned noticing the expression on his friend's face. "I'm fine. Really."

"No, it's not that." Danny quickly explained. "It's just that…"

"Yes?"

"Well, I've got this huge presentation coming up tomorrow for school, and I'm a bit nervous."

Jeremy smiled. "I used to present things in class all of the time. It's not that big of a deal."

Danny shook his head. "It is to me. I'm always afraid I'm going to get hit by a spit wad or something." He sighed. "I'm not one of the most liked kids in school, and all of the popular kids make me nervous when I go up to present my projects and stuff."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Why don't the other kids like you?"

Danny shrugged. "I don't know."

Jeremy was silent for a moment. And it was not just because he didn't think that Danny's situation was right. He just knew that talking to Danny was very important right now. He was getting weaker and weaker everyday, and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. He smiled at Danny as he pulled something out from under his pillow.

"Here." he said, handing a small stuffed bear to him.

Danny stared at it. The little teddy bear was brown, with big black button eyes and a pink nose. I wore a little red bow tie around its neck. "I didn't know you had a stuffed bear."

Jeremy laughed. "That's because I haven't thought to show him to you yet. This is Barry. He's one of my best friends in the whole wide world." He smiled. "Do you want to hold him?"

Danny grinned. "Sure."

As the stuffed bear was placed into his hands, Danny felt the urge to hug it. So he did. "Wow." He chuckled. "He sure is soft."

"Take him."

"What?" Danny wasn't sure if he heard Jeremy right.

"Take him over to your house to show the babies. One thing Barry also is is my good luck charm. He's helped me through a lot of tough times, but I think he's willing to help you on your presentation. Right Barry?"

Jeremy made the bear nod its head.

"Wow!" Danny exclaimed. "Thanks Jeremy!" He glanced at the stuffed bear in his hands before asking, "Do you mind if I go and show the babies Barry now?"

Jeremy laughed. "Sure. Why not?"

"Thanks!" Danny ran out the door.

Jeremy laughed once more before lying back under the covers. "Thanks, Barry. Thanks, Danny." he whispered. "I'll never forget you guys."

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

**_D_**anny ran up the hospital stairs to the second floor. He didn't even bother to take the elevator. He was just so excited. He was able to get through his presentation with Barry hiding under his vest. And he didn't even get a spitball launched at him. Barry must've been a good luck charm!

He ran up the stairs two at a time. He just couldn't wait to tell Jeremy the good news!

It seemed like ages before Danny reached the door, but when he did, he exclaimed his news without even considering that Jeremy might've been asleep. "Hey, Jeremy! Guess what? You were right! Barry is a good luck char-,"

He cut off, glancing around the room. Jeremy wasn't in the room! He was always there when Danny came to see him after school! He frowned, observing the room. Something wasn't right. Jeremy's bed was neatly made, and all of his stuff on his dresser had been cleared off. He shrugged, figuring Jeremy had to move to a different room. He decided to go and ask Janet where his new room was.

Danny searched down the hallways until he found Janet in a room he had never seen before. He was surprised to see Jeremy's parents there. But they had tears streaming down their faces. Danny's heart sank. What could've happened that made Jeremy's parents so upset? Was Jeremy alright? Did something happen to him?

"Janet?"

Janet jumped when she heard Danny's voice. "Oh." She smiled sadly. "Hello, Danny."

"Um, I was just wondering where Jeremy's new room is."

"What was that?"

"Jeremy's new room? I saw all of his stuff was cleared out and I was wondering where he moved."

Janet sighed, and glanced over at Jeremy's parents. They nodded in reply. "Danny," she explained, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Danny's heart sank even more. "Did something happen to Jeremy?" he asked.

Janet had tears forming in her eyes now. "Sit down, Danny."

"No!" Danny exclaimed. "I want to know where Jeremy is! Where is he?" His eyes were wide with fear.

Janet sighed. "Jeremy had Leukemia, Danny." she stated sadly.

"_Had_?" Danny's voice quavered. "What do you mean, _had_?"

"Jeremy had a bone disease that was slowly killing him, Danny. He passed away late last night." Tears were now falling down Janet's face. "I'm so sorry you had to hear about it this way."

Danny's heart was pounding hard against his chest. The words kept playing like a tape recorder in his head. _'Jeremy had Leukemia. He passed away late last night.' _No matter how many times the sentence kept repeating itself, the words still weren't making any sense to him.

"Danny?" Janet was staring at him intently. Tears were forming in his eyes. "Danny? Please say something."

_'__Jeremy had Leukemia. He passed away late last night.'_

Just as the last word escaped her mouth, Danny turned and ran in the direction he had just come from. He could hear Janet calling after him, but he didn't care. Jeremy was gone. He had left his life forever. And now, he just _had_ to get out of that hospital.

_'__Jeremy had Leukemia. He passed away late last night.'_

_ '__Jeremy had Leukemia. He passed away late last night.'_

_ '__Jeremy had Leukemia. He passed away late last night.'_

That tape recorder kept playing over and over in his head.

Danny didn't start crying until he ran all the way home.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry to cut off on such a depressing ending of the chapter you guys. It will get better, I promise. :)**


	5. Chapter 3 Part 2

**Author's Note: I do not own any of these characters except for Jeremy, Janet, and Jeremy's parents. Enjoy the second part of Chapter 3! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3 Part 2**

**_"_****_D_**anny?" Sam knocked on her best friend's bedroom door before quietly entering the room. "Are you ready? Everybody's waiting for you."

Danny was staring up at the ceiling as Sam entered the room. He was wearing a plaid, tan shirt, with dark brown dress pants, and black dress shoes. He wasn't very happy at the moment. Sure, he was no longer in denial over the fact that Jeremy was gone now. He had cried about it many times over the past three days, and he was getting a bit better now. But today was the day of Jeremy's funeral, and, of course, he wasn't all that excited.

Sam sat down on the right side of Danny's bed. He hadn't answered her question yet, but she understood. "I get what you're going through Danny. Cancer's a horrible thing. It sucks the life out of many people. My grandpa passed away from it a year ago."

Danny sighed. "Yeah. I remember. You cried into my shoulder all day when you found out."

Sam grinned a little bit. "Yeah." She turned her head away from him for a moment. "I'm just sorry you had to experience the loss of someone you love too."

Danny nodded. "I know. Thanks."

"Is there anything you want to talk about before we leave?"

Sam could've sworn she saw a glint of concern in her best friend's eyes. She was just about to question him, but before she got the chance, Tommy toddled in. "Is Danny okay?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "He's fine. It's just going to take awhile before he gets completely back on his own two feet again."

Knowing Sam, Tommy figured that was some sort of expression. He thought about asking her what that meant, but figured that now just wasn't the right time. "Okay." he replied.

After Sam told Danny they were leaving in five minutes, she shut the door and headed down the stairs with Tommy.

A minute of silence passed between them before Tommy asked, "Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah, Tommy?"

"Remember when Jeremy gived me that purple Reptar dimeosaur awhile ago?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, I heared how Jeremy said it used to be his." Tommy paused before continuing. "Do you think Jeremy gived me his Reptar because he knew he was gonna die soon?"

Sam was silent then. She didn't need to answer. Tommy had already figured it out on his own.

* * *

**_A _**couple of days previously, Maddie Fenton walked into Danny's room. He was lying on his bed crying at the moment, clutching Barry with both hands, and hugging him tightly. Maddie felt heartbroken. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Danny to have met Jeremy after all. Her son meant more than anything in the world to her. She hated to see him so upset.

Maddie walked over toward Danny, and laid a comforting hand on his back. "Danny, sweetie-,"

Danny didn't change his position. "I know why you wanted Jeremy to get to know me." he said, with no expression in his voice. "You knew, didn't you?"

Maddie frowned. "Knew what, sweetie?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer to her son's question.

"That Jeremy was dying." Danny replied. A tear slid down his cheek as he said it.

Maddie sighed. The game was up. "Yes, Danny. I knew."

"Hmm."

There was silence for a moment before Maddie asked, "You're not mad at me, are you Danny?"

Danny shook his head. "No."

Maddie smiled. "You know you can be if you want to." After all, she knew her son well. She knew that sometimes Danny could bottle up his feelings inside of him until they came crashing out.

Danny slowly sat up. "There's no reason to be mad at you. It's not your fault Jeremy had Leukemia." He hugged his mom tightly. "I just wish there was something I could've done to help him."

Maddie smiled. "There's still time, honey. Jeremy's spirit is lying to rest in three days. His funeral is on Wednesday. You and all of your friends are invited."

Danny nodded slowly. "But, what can I do to help Jeremy now?"

"Well, if you want, I can give you a ride to the hospital. Janet called and said that Jeremy's parents are going over this morning to get all of Jeremy's stuff." She smiled. "How does that sound?"

Danny wiped the tears from his eyes, and grinned slightly. "Sounds great."

* * *

**_D_**anny fought the tears back as he knocked on Jeremy's old hospital door. It was strange coming back and not seeing Jeremy rolling around in his old wheelchair or drawing or writing something on his sketchpad in his bed. In fact, the hospital seemed really quiet without him. Which was ironic considering the fact that the hospital was always swarming with people.

"Who is it?" Danny recognized Janet's voice through the wooden door.

"It's Danny." he answered. "Can I come in?"

Danny heard some rustling of papers and some footsteps before Janet opened the door for him. "Danny, I'm so glad you came!"

Danny smiled. It was sort of good to see a familiar face. "Hey, Janet. Are Jeremy's parents here?"

Janet shook her head. "I'm afraid you just missed them. But, there's a box of stuff in there for you to take home with you. Jeremy's parents said Jeremy would've wanted you to have it."

Danny nodded. "Thanks." He felt sort of bad that he was taking some of Jeremy's stuff, but he figured since Jeremy's parents were fine with it, he'd be fine with it too. "Do you mind if I look through it now?"

Janet nodded. "Come on in." She stepped aside, and Danny was surprised that the room looked like an old hospital room. Before, it looked like a child's paradise with toys on the floor, pictures on the walls, and posters everywhere. Now, the room just looked plain and boring. It was kind of depressing to Danny.

Danny saw the cardboard box on Jeremy's old bed, and figured it was the box that Jeremy's parents left for him. He walked toward it. Sure enough, it said, "To Danny" scrawled in Jeremy's mom's handwriting.

I'll leave you alone in here for a moment." Janet said quietly, exiting the room. Actually, Danny really didn't care if she left or not. After he saw Jeremy's empty room and the box, he forgot Janet was even in the room. He slowly sat on Jeremy's bed, and, hands shaking slightly, opened the box.

First on top, was a note in Jeremy's handwriting. Danny quickly picked it up, and read:

Dear Danny,

If you're reading this letter, then you probably know that I've passed on from a horrible cancer called Leukemia. First off, I'd like to say that, I don't want you to feel sorry for me. I'm alright. I'm up in Heaven now where the angels sing and where God is taking care of me everyday. I'm in peace from the pain I've been suffering for the past few months, and I feel great! So, make sure you tell the babies that when they ask what happened to me.

Secondly, I made a list for my parents as to what I want to give to you and the babies. It's all in the box you'll be receiving from them. Make sure you take care of these things, and my parents as well. They need you.

And last, but not least, I want to say thank you for being such an awesome friend while I was around. You're a great kid, with a kind heart, and that's one thing I'm never, ever going to forget about you. And I'm never going to forget the babies and your friends Sam and Tucker. They're great too. Tell them I said to take care of each other, including you too. Great friends like you guys need to stick together. And trust me, you've got a whole boatload of them!

Anyway, I'm sorry to say I had to leave you like this, but it was the best thing for me. I'm going to miss all of you guys. Enjoy your lives, stay strong, and most importantly, love each other because friendship is the most important thing of all.

Your Friend,

Jeremy

Another tear slid down Danny's cheek as he finished the letter. Of course he would take care of Jeremy's parents and all of his things. He just wished that Jeremy could still be here with him. He quickly wiped the tears off of his face, and looked inside the box.

The first thing he found was the yellow foam ball that he and Jeremy played catch with a few weeks previously. He picked it up and stared at it as a memory flashed through his mind:

_"It's just that… I've never had someone offer to be friends with me before."_

_Danny's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"_

_ "__Really."_

_Danny hesitated before saying, "Well then, I'm offering." He held out his right hand. "Friends forever?"_

_Jeremy stared at Danny's hand for a moment. _

Now Danny knew what it was. Hesitation. Jeremy wasn't sure if he should've made that promise or not.

_Soon enough, Jeremy was holding his right hand out to shake Danny's left hand. "Definitely."_

Danny smiled slightly. "I'll always still be friends with you Jeremy." he whispered. "Even if you're not here, you'll always still be in my heart." He set the ball aside, and looked through the box some more.

The next thing he found was a beginners drawing book of learning how to draw Reptar. Danny chuckled. Of course Jeremy would've wanted him to have this. Besides, Danny already knew Jeremy was a great drawer. He figured that Jeremy had hardly used it anymore. 'The babies are really going to enjoy this.' he thought, placing the book beside him.

Danny continued to search through the box. He found some sketch paper along with pencils, pens, crayons, and other art supplies. He also found a Reptar flashlight, a mystery novel, and a stuffed pig with a note attached to it saying that Tommy could have it. But the most surprising thing that Danny found was in the very bottom of the box.

It was a photograph of Jeremy, Danny, and all of his friends together. Danny remembered this picture. Janet had taken it about a week ago. The sad part of it all was that, when this picture was taken, Danny and his friends didn't know they were only a week away from never seeing Jeremy again.

But, that wasn't what surprised him.

What did surprise him was what was stapled behind the picture. It was the list that Jeremy had written earlier with his friends. It said:

Things to Do With my Friends Before I Die

1. Ride on horses in the wild, wild west. (Did it imaginarily. Totally fun!)

2. Watch the next Reptar movie marathon and eat lots of cookies! (I was full by the time the movies were over.)

3. Visit the animals at the zoo. (I really didn't know penguins could swim.)

4. Have a big dinner and slumber party together. (Spaghetti and meatballs + staying up late at the hospital = a whole lot of fun!)

5. Visit space exhibit in the science center. (Did you know they didn't start launching rockets until around the 1940's? Danny pushed me around in my wheelchair the whole time. Thanks for being there for me, dude!)

6. Ride down the steepest hill in AmityPark on my bike. (Did it in the hallway. I could practically feel the wind rushing through my short, brown hair!)

Danny laughed at that last one. At least what he thought was the last one anyway. He was surprised to see that Jeremy scrawled one more thing down on the list. He quickly read over it, and smiled. It was a really great idea and simple enough to do. Most kids who had cancer would've wished to go to Disneyland or something before they died, which was perfectly fine with Danny. But, this wish, was pure Jeremy's. And he never got a chance to do it.

Danny stared down at that last thing on the list for five minutes straight before a light bulb popped up in his head. He quickly dashed down the hall until he spotted the person he was looking for working in a room with another patient. "Janet?"

Janet quickly turned around to see the sweet smiling face of Danny's peeking into the room. She grinned. "Hello, Danny. Is something wrong?"

Danny shook his head. "Not exactly." he replied. He handed the list to the doctor with a serious look on his face. "I want you to look at the bottom of Jeremy's to do list. That's the one thing he didn't get to do before he died."

Janet glanced down at the list and quickly read through it. When she reached the bottom of it, she gasped. "Oh!"

Danny grinned. "I've got an idea." he explained. "But, I'm going to need some help." He motioned for Janet to lean in, and whispered something in her ear.

Janet smiled and nodded as he finished explaining. "I think that can be arranged." she replied. "When should we start?"

"First thing in the morning." Danny nodded confidently. "I really think we can make a difference here. Tell as many workers at the hospital as you can. I'll take care of the rest."

With that, he ran out the door.

Janet laughed. "Such a great kid." she whispered to herself. She then turned back to her patient and continued to work.

* * *

**_D_**anny was now sitting in the church for Jeremy's funeral. It was always funny for Danny to walk into a church. There was always a sense of peace and relaxation as you sat down. Even on such a sad day, it felt like you could lie down and take a short nap.

But, he couldn't do that. He was nervous enough as it was. He could've sworn that the note cards in his hands were starting to dampen with his sweat. He sighed. He didn't think funerals were supposed to be this stressful.

"Danny?"

Danny glanced to his right to see Tommy staring up at him with a curious expression on his face. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

Danny wanted to say yes, that everything was just fine, perfect even. But he just couldn't. Tommy would've been able to tell he was lying anyway. "Not really." he answered.

"Are you ascared to goes up theres all by yourself?"

"Kind of." He sighed. "I'm just afraid I'm going to break down and cry my heart out up there." he explained. "I don't want to embarrass myself."

Tommy was watching his playmate intently. Danny must've been really scared and sad to have to go through all of this. After all, Danny was usually the one who comforted Tommy and the rest of the babies whenever they were feeling down. Tommy had never seen Danny like this before.

It was at that moment something clicked into Tommy's brain. He had suddenly remembered what Jeremy had said to him a few weeks previously:

_"One of these days, Danny's going to need your love and support. Whenever he's sad, I know you're going to be there for him, just like he is for you."_

Tommy smiled at his playmate. "You know, Danny," he started, "nobody's gonna blames you for crying."

Danny glanced at his friend. "How do you know?"

"'Cause if somebody did, then they're just a big meanie. I mean, look at Chuckie. I'll bet if somebody laughed at him now about him crying about his Mommy at a time like this, he would've yelled at them right then and there. And, you knows Chuckie. He'd neber yell at nobody."

Danny chuckled. "I guess you're right."

Chuckie, who had been listening to the conversation, glanced up at Danny. "Of course, Tommy's right. If anybody ever made fun of me because I don't gots a Mom, I'd be getting angry right now. I losted somebodies too. It's not my fault."

Tommy nodded. "Besides, Danny, even if we're sad right now, after this is over, we'll think, Jeremy's in Heben now! Why can't we all just be happy?" He smiled. "Don't you think that will be the bestest thing of all?"

Danny sniffled a bit before happy tears came rolling down his face. "Yeah." he grinned. "Yeah. That'll be great."

"Then get up theres and makes a whole lotta people proud!"

Danny grinned widely, and hugged Tommy tightly. "Thanks, Tommy. You're a real pal!"

Tommy smiled and hugged Danny back. "No problem, Danny."


End file.
